These KPIs will make your webinar a complete success!

Webinars are the marketing concept of the hour – quite a few companies are currently planning their own online event. We have already shown in this article why this is a promising decision for lead generation and what needs to be considered. Today we would like to introduce you to the most important webinar metrics. What KPIs are there, which ones should you definitely measure and how do you improve them? We share our best practices with you!

KPIs for webinar participation

Without participants, all other KPIs are void. That’s why the number of registrations is definitely the most important performance indicator for your webinar. Usually not all registered contacts will appear at the live event – nevertheless you now have an OptIn from these contacts which you can use e.g. for the OnDemand version of the webcast.

On the one hand, you will receive more registrations by optimizing your landing page for registration. On the other hand, you need sufficient attention and reach online for your event announcements. In addition to social media, this can also include mailings, advertising partnerships or classic online advertisements.

Also important: the participation rate. On average, only 30-40% of all registered participants take part in the live event. A high live rate indicates that the topic is so important that the participants mark it in their calendar and postpone other appointments for it. Conversely, an average rate does not necessarily indicate disinterest. If many are watching the on-demand version, you may have set your webinar at an inappropriate time.

Be careful not to schedule your webinar around lunchtime, too late or in general meeting hours (Monday morning for example). Afterwards, send the webcast recording to all registered participants. This often increases your view rate immensely.

KPIs for engagement

In addition to the live participants, you should measure how many views your webinar, including the on-demand version, has. It is possible that interested decision-makers were prevented from attending your event at short notice. They would then be happy to watch a recording. An Adobe webinar study found that approximately 50-60% of registered participants attend a webinar after the event. Together with the live views, this results in an immense reach!

For optimal view rates, send the webinar recording to all registrations in a timely manner. A reminder mail a few days later will pick up even the last interested viewers.

Do you include activating elements in your webcast? Then you should definitely measure their engagement rate! Short surveys that you can display in accordance with the content presented are a good way to do this. If your viewers are following the webinar closely, you should be able to see rates of 70-85% within one minute.

If you actively incorporate the results into your presentation, this increases both added value and commitment. You can also use the answers from the questions as small market research. Have you always wanted to know how well your customers really know your topic? Just ask!

KPIs for further qualification

Of course, you conduct your webinar primarily to inform interested parties and customers. But what happens afterwards? Measure the click rate on the next step in your sales funnel.

Make sure you have a clear CTA and an attractive offer that directly encourages clicking. Well suited: trial versions. Depending on the topic and depth of the webinar, you can also pass on the leads directly to your sales department.

Accordingly, you should of course track how many sales are generated by the webinar. The measurement becomes particularly precise when you measure the sales turnover. A won key account can be very valuable! You can correctly allocate the purchases through intelligent tracking. In this way, you can also show your management how your own marketing contributes to the success of your company.

If your webinar starts further up the Sales Funnel, you can also measure social sharing. Likes, comments and shares show how well you generate attention in the relevant audience and how the webinar topic is received there. Maybe you even call for a little social challenge in the webinar? Whoever posts the most creative contribution with mention of your company wins something.

Catchy, funny or surprising contributions have the potential to capture the attention of other social media users. Even unusual approaches are definitely worth a try!

For top-of-the-funnel webinars you should also measure the number of (new) leads that you can feed into your CRM. This is linked to the cost per lead. This gives you a direct comparison value to your other measures. 

 Decide what fits

Of course, not all Webinar KPIs are necessarily relevant to you – just choose the ones that are right for you and your goals. If you also consider some best practices, there is nothing stopping your webinar success!